"A solid game that's better suited for the Wii."

Introduction:

Battalion Wars is, in essence, a real-time spin off of Intelligent Systems' hit series known as Advance Wars, famous for its cutesy turn-based combat, but perhaps even more so for its surprisingly deep, strategic game play. Created by Kuju Entertainment, which previously had no ties to the Advance Wars franchise, and holding the title Advance Wars: Under Fire did not take well to fans of the series. Fortunately, Kuju decided to change the name to Battalion Wars, to establish that the game was, in fact, a spin off and not a sequel, but still very much tied to the AW franchise in more than one way. Needless to say, things picked up slightly for the game after the change, and the game was, as spin-offs go, a relative success.

Story: 5/10

From the very beginning you can pretty much tell that this game, or rather the developer behind the game, knows the Advance Wars series and tries to grab on to as many fans as possible; the story for Battalion Wars is very similar to that of the original Advance Wars, with cartoony and, often, geeky characters and a relatively skimpy storyline that just barely manages to justify the game having any storyline at all. Cut scenes definitely add a lot to the story, but I'd rather that Kuju worked on the story a bit more, simply to break their game away from Advance Wars a little bit more than they did.

Game play/ Controls: 8/10

This game, unlike its cousin, is a real time strategy title (as opposed to a turn based strategy, for those unfamiliar with the series). The basic gist behind the game play is that you are given a predetermined number of troops and a mission to accomplish. You do this by taking direct control of one of your units and giving commands to the rest of your troops, whether individually, by group of units, or even all of your troops simultaneously. There is a great variety of units in the sky or on land, from rifle infantry and fighters to anti-air units, bombers, tanks, and an assortment of others.

Combat is very Advance Wars-esque in that it is heavy on a rock-paper-scissors style of strategy. For example, you may have a couple of fighters and bombers in the vicinity, but the CPU has a couple Anti-Air units ready to retaliate. You would have to clear the area of Anti-Air units with your tanks and then begin to assault the opponent with your bombers, using your fighters to defend the bombers from other air units.

Controls take an hour or so to get used to- perhaps more so in some cases. However, the game presents a pretty impressive training mode. Or, rather, the first few missions include an allied Commanding Officer walking you through the mission and teaching you controls. Things get better after you learn the controls, but there are some definite problems to work our; namely, it can take a while to execute commands to the group of units of your choosing, even under the best conditions. Still, overall, controls work well and there aren't too many major problems that arise after you get the hang of things.

It's best to explain Battalion Wars as a more complicated, action-packed hybrid of Pikmin and Advance Wars. Things can get a bit hectic, and the controls, once learned, are slightly confusing in the heat of battle, but after a while you should probably get the hang of things enough so that any additional problems you experience will be due to the overall difficulty of the game, which is actually fairly high.

Sound/Graphics: 7/10

The sound effects and music in Battalion Wars are all perfectly fine, actually, but the voice acting for all of the allies (and most of the enemies) causes moderate pain to my abdomen from screaming so loudly. Advance Wars fans should imagine Andy or Colin having a voice actor. Yes, it really is that annoying. Graphics are what's to be expected from a current-gen game, but I'm especially impressed by the cut scenes, which are surprisingly well-done. There isn't too much to say on the subject, however.

Replay Value: 5/10

Perhaps the one fatal issue with Battalion Wars is the lack of multiplayer, which is actually understandable due to the games excellent campaign mode (the only mode in the game, unfortunately) and the fact that a split-screen multiplayer would fail miserably. However, AW-style rankings for each mission, bonus missions and overall difficulty ensure that you'll be playing with the game for a decent amount of time for a game with no multiplayer.

Potential: 10/10

I'm sorry, but it had to be done. And hey, let's face it; every problem with this game right now could be handily fixed using the Nintendo Wii's capabilities. The remote itself would do wonders, offering some much needed simplicity to the game's controls, and online play would give the game replay value.

Overall: 8/10

Battalion Wars definitely has its flaws, and I might be slightly generous with the score (but only slightly), being a huge Advance Wars fan, but right now I'd say Battalion Wars is a solid game. A sequel, however, especially if Kuju collaborated with AW creators Intelligent Systems, would be a complete must-have for the Wii.

Rent or Buy? For most people, I'd suggest renting before deciding.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/06, Updated 07/27/06